Answers

Goats.

Goats will kill anything, and eat the ground bare.

Of course, that means the goats get a bit hungry, and blackberry
canes can be hard on anything, including goats, and particularly
including udders - wethers are better for this. If you can slash the
blackberry to the ground, then keep cutting or having it eaten back,
it will eventually run out of reserves and die of exhaustion. Nothing
which hasn't evolved to live life as a lawn can stand being treated
as a lawn forever - that isn't limited to blackberries either.

Joe,
I never used an herbiside in my life until I moved to Oregon and came
face to face with these Blackberries! I have bush hogged, cut and
chopped them. On my upper pasture, there was a terrific stand, 30'
across, after mowing & cutting down to the ground, burning and then
this winter ripping at the root system with a field cultivator, 16"
deep, they are still coming on strong.
I use CrossBow in non critical areas, pasture and fence lines.
Yesterday i was out looking at the b-berry situation, we cleared the
old irrigation ditch this past winter with brush saws, cut the canes
to the ground, they are all leafed out, I might try using the propane
torch on them but things are pretty dry over here and there is enough
Scotch Broom in the county fence that could catch a fire.
another large patch that we used crossbow on last year has come back
real strong and I pushed at it with the tractor & loader, I also
scraped out some with the tractor beside one of our ponds.
We spend a greater part of each winter cutting blackberries and
scotch broom, we seem to be gaining on it but mostly where we use the
Crossbow.
By the way we are selling the ranch on Coyote Creek and will probably
move back to Jackson county, we are looking down around Foots Creek.
now

I've only got scattered patches at the moment, but don't want to
get into the condition that Howard describes, which I see
happening more and more around here. So I guess I'll just build
concrete patios over each patch, until all 43 acres are covered. :(

I guess what I've learned from you nice folks is that I'd better be
more diligent on getting rid of what I've got, rather than waiting till
it gets even worse.

Howard, best wishes on selling your place, and I hope you like
Foots Creek. I have been up there a couple of times, and it
looked real nice!

I would like to thank everybody for their advice, too. I will pass it
on to my Mom... The patio idea only works if they don't pour in
'seams'... We know. I was going to suggest a nuclear bomb, myself,
teehee!!

You think you have problems JOJ, we have here the wild rose stuff
that was planted by farmers as a "living hedge" and now runs rampant
in everyones woods and fence rows. I mean it eats you up and every
where you get a little scratch it inflames and swells up. Roundup
only kills it for a season and then it comes right back. Any
suggestions???

I agree with goats! Our 100 x 50 patch of blackberries is gone b/c of
our two Nubian wethers....it's been a year. Get old goats,
though....ones that will probably only last a year. Otherwise, you'll
be paying for hay soon.... :-)

Cora vee, what I said was really dumb, and I should know better!
I just wasn't thiinking. I do know about chlorox mixed with
ammonia (ex wife barely survived pouring bleach right into a
diaper pail because of the "natural" ammonia from the diapers
that was in it). For you youngsters, a diaper pail is what us old
timers used to use to put dirty diapers into until they went to the
wash) :)

Alot of stubbon, hard to get rid of plants that come back by their
roots can be eliminated by cutting them down a few times during the
growing season.If the plants aren't able to make food to store in the
roots they will eventually die.I have Kudzu on my property and was
told I wasn't goin to get rid of it.I took a machete and trimmed it
to the ground about four times during the growing season, and made
sure it didn't get to flower.Weeds and wild grasses are now where the
Kudzu use to be.I left some areas with it,because it's great food for
chickens and goats.I just trim it for them with a machete and make
sure, before it's flowering time to let it grow new shoots so it can
flower well.The spot that I cleared was 2 years ago and it's still
gone from there.Black berries might have a simular weakness,every
plants has.I have a few patches of black berries but nevr thought of
getting rid of them.Now that I hear they are hard to get rid of and
people are resorting to chemicals,I will experiment on removing a few
small patches without chemicals and post the results on the CS forum
in the future.Caution; a razor sharp machete can be dagerous .

W.WA is the blackberry capitol of the world! Many a car has
disapeared never to be seen again. I have a Toyota Tercel that is
parked out there somewhere in the blackberry void. Nuclear detonation
or some nasty Triox by the gallon will slow it down. Or just live
with it and make the best pies and jam there is.:)

Even if you get rid of the blackberries, birds will happily deposit
seeds as they fly over so you will be blessed with more and they'll
grow all over again. They NEVER go away for good without vigilance.
Of course, you could just enjoy the fruit, and let nature take it's
course..... Or not.
I understand about not wanting to use herbicides, but I have heard
that round-up, used properly, has no lasting effect beyond killing
the plant. I was very hesitant, but with so many blackberries,
creeping raspberries, thistles, and nettles, we do use it.
good luck!

I've found that a sure-fire way to kill any native species that I
wish to get rid of is to try to cultivate it. It will immediately
start acting like the finickiest tea rose, turn black and rot.
Seriously, I have killed small patches of blackberries by cutting
down all the canes, covering the area with several layers of old
newspaper, then covering with about 2 feet of freshly dirtied
bedding. If any plants come up through, I just repeat the process in
those spots. I've cleared out some nasty spots that way. It does
take awhile though. I did one spot late last summer and I'll
probably have to pull a few plants and re-cover those spots this
spring.